#S3f 


Duke   University   Libraries 

The  Taproot. 
Conf  Pam  12mo  #597 


No.  92. 

THE    TAPROOT. 


(J\  a  bright  and  bracing  afternoon  early  in  March, 
returning  from  a  visit  to  an  afflicted  family,  I  met 
•vith  one  of  my  intelligent  parishioners'  sitting  on  a 
fence.  A  gorgeou3  sunset  wks  displaying  its  glories 
in  the  west,  aud  my  friend  gave  true  indications  that 
the  day  closing  around  us  hud  not  been  spent  in  idle- 
ness. ''What,''  said  ],  in  a  friendly  tone  of  recogni- 
tion, "  are  you  doing  here  ?'-  "I  want,"  said  he,  "to 
transplant  that  pretty  elm  into  my  door-yard,  and  I 
have  been  laboring  here  for  hours  fc)  dig  it  up,  in  vain. 
The  tree,  perhaps,  is  a  little  too  old  to  be  transplant' 
od  ;  but  if  removed  early  in  the  spring,  and  with  a 
large  root,  trees  frequently  live,  even  beyond  the  age 
of  this." 

I  crossed  the  fence  to  take  a  view  of  the  tree.  I 
found  it  surrouuded  by  a  deep  trench,  and  its  lateral 
roots  all  cuty  and  feeling  that  a  strong  pu^h  would 
lay  it  on  the  ear  h,  I  gave  it  one.  Not  a  twig  <ior  a 
leal  moved  the  more  on  that  account.  I  wondered — 
and  turning  to  my  friend,  I  asked,  "Why  is  it  so  firm, 
when  so  many  of  its  roots  are  cut  and  when  united  to 
the  earth  by  a  stem  so  small  ?"  "The  taproot"  said 
he,  "remains,  and  until  that  is  cut,  it  will  stand  firm."' 
Hearing  ths  phrase  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  I  ask- 
ed, "  What  do  you  moan  by  the  taproot  t '  "  Almost 
every  tree,"  said  he,  "has  its  taproot,  which  goes  as 
strait  down  into  the  earth  as  the  trunk  goes  in* 


air;  and  until  that  root  is  cut  the  tree  stands,  and  will 
grow.  And  if  I  should  fill  up  this  trench  now,  tht 
tree  would  feel  but  little  the  cutting  of  all  these  later- 
al roots.  They  would  soon  grow  out,  and  the  tree 
would  be  as  strong  as  ever." 

We  soon  parted.  I  pursued  my  way  home  ponder- 
ing these  remarks.  The  tree  was  transplanted,  and 
now  stands,  a  noble  and  beautiful  tree,  just  in  the 
{►lace  selected  for  it.  My  friend  has  been  transplant- 
ed to  another  world.  Years  have  passed  since  the 
above  conversation,  but  it  has  never  been  forgotten. 
It  has  suggested  many  truths  to  my  mind;  and  it  ex- 
plains many  things  frequently  occurring" under  our 
own  observation,  and  which  frequently  cause  doubt 
and  hesitation.     Ponder  some  of  these. 

Are  trees  transplanted  with  difficulty  after  they 
have  received  a  certain  growth  ?  This  alf  admit.— 
The  rule  is,  transplant  them,  whether  fruit,'  forrest,  or 
ornamental,  when  young.  Such  is  the  law  which 
rules  in  the  kingdom  of  grace.  "  How  can  a  man  be 
born  when  he  is  old?  "  is  a  question  of  emphatic  im- 
port to  those  who  have  grown  up  to  mature  years 
without  repentance.  <( 

Has  almost  every  tree  its  taproot?  So  every  sin- 
ner has  his  besetting  sin,  which  sustains  him  tn  his 
rebellion  against  God  more  than  any  other,  and  even 
when  almost  all  others  seem  to  be  laid  aside. 

Are  the  lateral  roots  cut  in  vain,  until  the  taproot  is 
cut?  Does  the  tree  stand  until  the  taproot  is  sever- 
ed? So,  as  far  as  their  salvation  is  concerned,  men 
are  reformed  in  vain  from  immoral  practices,  until  the 
hear*  i3  converted.  A  depraved  heart  is  the  taproot 
of  tnat  tree  of  evil  which  bears  fruit  unto  $eath.— - 
And  until  that  heart  is  taken  away,  the  tree 
stands. 


Is  the  tree  sustained  by  one  root  when  all  others 
are  cut  ?  Through  that  one  root  is  it  nourished  into 
a,  permanent,  if  not  a  luxurious  growth?  So  one  bin 
unmodified,  with  its  power  over  the  soul  unbroken, 
secures  its  final,  its  eternal  loss. 

How  manifold  are  the  illustrations  of  these  truths 
in  the  Bible.  Why  did  Balaam,  who  understood  the 
will  of  God,  and  saw  the  visions  of  the  Almighty, 
do  as  he  did?  Why  did  Judas,  after  having  preach- 
ed the  gospel,  and  wrought  miracles,  and  been  num- 
bered with  the  apostles,  betray  his  Master  ?  WhJ 
did  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  and  Simon  Magus,  do  as 
they  did  ?  Why  did  the  young  man  who  asked  of  Je: 
sus  what  he  should  do  to  inherit  eternal  life,  and 
whom  Jesus  loved,  do  as  he  did  ?  In  all  these  cases 
covetousness  was  the  taproot  sin  ;  and  that  was  uncut. 
O,  covetousness — often  miscalled  prudence  and  econ- 
omy, but,  by  God,  idolatry — how  many  souls  hast  thou 
destroyed  and  art  thou  destroying. 

But  I  have  said  that  the  above  conversation  with 
my  friend  at  the  tree  also  explains  many  things  fre- 
quently occurring,  and  which  induce  doubt  and  hesi- 
tation. 

Under  the  ministry  of  a  faithful  pastor  sat  an  amia- 
ble man,  with  unfailing  regularity,  for  years.  All 
hoped  he  was  a  Christian.  At  each  returning  com> 
mnnion  season  it  was  expected  that  he  would  profess 
his  faith  in  Christ ;  but  he  came  not.  None  were 
more  tender  than  ho  seemed  ;  and  his  pastor  suppos- 
ed that  he  was  kept  from  the  communion  of  the  saints 
only  by  that  diffidence  and  distrust  which  are  often 
the  accompaniments  of  true  piety.  A  truer  explana- 
tion came  at  last.  lie  loved  strong  drin k,  but. took  it 
only  at  night.  The  appetite  grew  until  it  vanquished 
shams,  and  he  becams  a  daily   and  open  drunkard. 


He  forsook  the  bouse  and  the- ordinances  of  God. 
During  the  absence  of  his  family  at  church  on  a  cer- 
tain Sabbath,  he  drank  beyond  measure — he  fell  into 
the  fire — and  when  his  family  returned  he  was  dead, 
and  a  portion  of  his  body  bnrned  to  a  cinder.  Why 
"  did  not  this  man,  in  the  days  of  his  tears  and  tender^ 
ness,  take  Christ  for  his,  portion  ?  The  taproot  was 
not  cut. 

I  knew  a  young  man,  who?  although  the  child  of 
praying  parents,  grew  up  an  alien  and  outcast  from 
the  commonwealth  of  Israel.  Grace  is  not  heredita- 
ry ;  it  is  the  gift  of  G®d.  In  a  spiritual  refreshing,  he 
was  deeply  convicted — he  hoped  he  was  converted. — 
He  sought  admission  to  the  church ;  butfearing  that 
all  was  not  right,  he  was  kindly  requested  to  wait  un- 
til the  next  comunion  season.  In  a  few  weeks  after- 
wards he  sat  at  a  gaming  table  until  the  stars  were 
quenched  in  the  light  of  the  rising  sun.  And  he  con- 
tinued until  his  death,  tenfold  more  the  child  of  hell 
than  he  was  before.     The  taproot  was  not  cut. 

And  the  prevalence  of  some- one  sin— its  reigning 
power  over  the  soul— is  the  reason  why  every  sinner 
that  hears  the  gospel  does  not  believe  it ;  or,  that  be- 
lieves the  goppel,  does  not  at  once,  by  repentance 
towards  God  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  seek 
the  salvation  of  his  soul.  And  the  remaining  influ- 
ence of  a  sin  whose  power  has  been  broken,  is  the 
reason  why  any  Christian  fails  in  consecrating  him- 
self a  living  sacrifice  to  God. 

Reader,  are  you  a  sinner  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
tbe  gospel,  without  repentance,  without  faith  in  Christ? 
If  so,  how  important  to  know  the  sin  that  holds  you 
back  from  the  work  of  your  salvation.  There  is 
some  one  sin  that  does  this  more  than  any  other; 
perhaps,  more  than  nil  other*.     What  is  it? 


What  are  the  objects  that  most  delight  you  ?  What 
are  the  gratifications  on  which  you  bestcrw  most  time  ? 
Thoughts  as  to  what,  most  intrude  themselves  when 
alone?  The  last  thing  -which  the  sailor  throws  over- 
board, in  his  efforts  to  save  his  sinking  vessel,  is  that 
which  he  deems  most  precious :  which  is  the  sin  yon 
are  most  anxious  to  retain  ?  When  you  think  of  being 
a  Christian,  what  is  the  sin,  the  pursuit,  the  habit,  that, 
you  feel  in  prospect  would  give  you  the  most  pain  to 
abandon?  These  questions  point  to  your  besetting  sin 
— your  taproot  sin.     Unless  cut,  you  are  lost. 

But  if  old  trees  Cannot  be  transplanted,  may  not  old 
sinners  be  converted  ?  Yes,  they  may.  As  to  aged 
sinners,  the  difficuty  lies  in  the  nature  of  man,  and  of 
sin,  and  of  evil  habits,  and  not  in  the  grace  of  God. — 
Grace  is  all-conquering  when  God  see's  fit  to  apply  it. 
Reader,  are  you  an  aged  sinner?  I  have  seen  the  man, 
fourscore  and  two  years  old,  who  bled  in  the  battles  of 
the  Revolution,  who  learuedits  worst  vices  and  contin- 
ued in  their  practice  until  the  age  stated,  hopefully  con- 
verted. I  have  seen  him  brought,  trembling  with  pal- 
sy, in  his  arm-chair  to  God's  house,  and  there  joining 
himself  to  the  people  of  God  ;  and  having  commemora- 
ted the  love  of  Christ,  lifting  up  his  withered  hands  to 
hea/en  in  thanksgiving  for  the  mercies  vouchsafed. — 
And  his  subsequent  life  and  triumphant  death  testified 
that  the  work  was  of  God.  But  in  my  experiencethis 
stands  out  a»solitary  case,  to  check  presumption  on  the 
one  hand,  and  despair  on  the  other.  Take  then  these 
thoughts  for  meditation : 

1.  You  have  a  besetting  sin,  stronger  in* its  bad  in- 
fluence ever  you  than  any  other. 

2.  It  is  of  the  highest  importance  to  you  to  know 
what  it  is.     Resolve  to  know  it. 

3.  Reformation  is  not  conversion.  The  tree  stands 
when  all  its  lateral  roots  are  cut. 

4.  Unless  by  the  grace  of  God  your  heart  is  changed, 


» 

all  is  vain.     The  tree  of  evil,  whose  fruit  is  death,  re- 
mains, because  the  taproot  is  not  cut. 

5.  However  aged,  or  wicked  there  is  grace  and  power 
to  meet  your  case.  Seek  them  without  delay,  and 
aright,  and  they  are  yours. 


FEARFUL  WARNING  TO  SARBATH 
BREAKERS. 


Upon  the  banks  of  a  noble  river  in  a  sister  State, 
lived  a  thrifty  farmer,  Though  respectable  and  order- 
ly, and  generally  esteemed  by  those  who  knew  him  as 
a  good  citizen — a  term,  by  the  world  too  indiscrimi- 
nately applied — he  was  nevertheless,  ons  of  those  who 
in  their  hearts  have  little  reverence  for  the  laws  of 
God,  and  often  and  fearlessly  transgress  them ;  while, 
as  far  as  the  code  enacted  by  men  is  coiyerned,  they 
are  very  careful  to  confine  themselves  within  the  strict 
letter  of  the  law,  and  to  do  nothing  that  can  affect 
their  standing  in  the  community  as  honest,  upright, 
and  law-abiding  citizens. 

This  man  had  two  sons,  of  the  respective  ages  of 
eleven  and  thirteen,  noble,  promising  boys,  the  light  of 
the  household,  and  the  joy  and  pride  of  their  doting 
parents'  hearts.  'Twas  springtime  and  a  bright  and 
beautiful  sabbath  morning.  The  sun  had  just  lifted 
himself  above  the  horizon,  and  shed  his  gentle  beams 


7 


across  the  brqad  landscape,  and  the   "dfew-drQp*  still 

glistened  in  his  morning  rays.  Everything  was  full  of 
life  and  beauty.  The  glad  notes  of  the  little  birds  as 
they  eang  their  morning  praises  to  the  God  who  made 
them,  filled  the  air  with  melody,  and  there  wa.s 
nonjht  to  disturb  the  quiet  and  reigning  beauty  of  the 
scene.  It  was  just  such  a  morning  as  will  call  forth 
the  highest  strains  of  praise  from  the  christian's 
heart,  as  he  gazes  out  upon  the  beauties  of  nature,  nmi 
meditates  upon  the  goodness  and  mercy  of  God, 

Very  differently  was  the  mind  of  the  farmer  engag- 
ed, and  he  was  intent  upon  spending  the  hallowed 
hours  of  that  beautiful  morning  in  a  very  different 
way  than  in  praising  God.  Having  arisen  and'dressed 
himself,  he  proceeded  to  the  chamber  where  his  sons 
were  still  wrapped  in  their  morning  slumbers  dream- 
ing perchance  of  happy  days  to  come.  Having 
aroused  them  from  their  slumbers  he  ordered  them  to 
dress  and  accompany  uim  to  examine  a  "trout  line" 
which  he  had  stretched  across  the  river  a  day  or  two 
previously.  The  three  went  down  to  the  river  togeth- 
er, and  having  entered  a  little  boat  tied  to  the  shore 
proceeded  to  their  sabbath  n  o.ning  business  and  sport. 
They  had  reached  the  middle  of  the  stream,  appa- 
rently well  rewarded,  as  they  had  drawn  several  fish 
out  of  the  water  when  the  boat  suddenly  sprung  a  leak 
and  rapidly  filled  and  sunk  to  the  bottom.  AIL  were 
^ood  swimmers,  yet  strange  as  it  may  seem  all  were 
drowned. 

Thus  the  lives  of  the  Sabbath-breaker  and  his  sons 
wer?  suddenly  and  unexpectly  destroyed  ;  the  father 
going  down,  not  only. as  a  sabbath- breaker,  but  we 
may  say,  as  ihe  murderer  of  his  own  offspring.  What 
a  fearful  weight  of  guilt  f  Some  one  standing  upon 
the  bank  of  the  river  conveyed  the  mournful  intelli- 
gence to  the  remaining  members  of  the  household,  and 
the  wail  of  agony  which  came  up  from  the  widowed 


8 


mother's  heart,  and  broke  the  "stillness  of  that  sabbath 
morning,  was  enough  to  move  the  most  obdurate  to 
tears  of  sympathy.      . 

What  a  fearful  warning  was  this  to  sabbath-breakers  ! 
For  one  thus  suddenly  cut  off  in  his  career  of  wicked- 
ness there  is  no  hope.  The  awful  fate  of  the  ungodly 
is  sure  to  be  his.  The  portals  of  eternity,  to  the  sab- 
buth-breaker,  dying  unrepentirig,  unlorgiven,  'open 
only  u;»on  the  very  blackness  of  despair  and  misery. — 
Then  let  all  such  beware,  lest  they  venture  too  far. — 
The  slender  cord  "of  life  by  which  they  are  suspended' 
over  the  burning  lake  may  be  snapped  in  the  twinkling 
of  an  eye,  and  they  will  sink  to  rise  no»moie  forever, 
into  an  abode  of  unappeasable  torment,  and  of  anguish 
unallaycM.  He  who  hath  said  ""Remember  the  sab- 
bath day,  to  keep  it  holy,"  hath  also  said,  "  The  soul 
that  siaueth  it  shall  die,"  and  "he  is  not  a. man  that  he 
should  lie,  neither  the  son  of  man  that  he  should  re- 
pent." and  it  well  bccometh  all  those  who  habitually 
desecrate  his  holy  day,  and  devote  its  sacred  hours  to 
the  pursuit  of  business,  or -pleasure  or  frivolous  amuse- 
ments, or  idle  conversation,  or  vain  display,  to  pause 
ere  the  final  summons  come,  and  the  command  go 
forth.. "cut  him  down,. why  cumbereth  he  t»he  ground." 
And  the  summons  may  come  when  least  expected. — 
The  command  may  be  executed  without  warning!— 
Then  it  will  be  too  late  to  pause  and  turn  !  Then  it 
will  be  too  late  to  repent.  Then  it  will  be  too  late  to 
cry  for  mercy  !  All  will  be  lost,"  finally,  irretrievably 
and  eternally  lost !  J.  B.  R. 


pemiutife* 
pH8J 


